My last (but not least) stop for OBR week is Gena of Choosing Raw. Gena eats and blogs about what some might consider a “high raw” diet, with lots of raw foods and a good measure of cooked, healthy, whole foods. I really like Gena’s approach to nutrition and health – In fact, just today she expounded on her personal balance between raw and cooked foods. She is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, and she really knows her stuff. While most of Gena’s posts are about food, she’s not afraid to write in-depth about her thoughts on vegan lifestyle, ethics and nutrition.

For my meal to really reflect the Choosing Raw philosophy, of course it had to be mostly raw! I chose two recipes from Gena’s Autumn Dinner Party post, her Kale Salad with Red Cabbage and Carrots, and Beet “Ravioli” Stuffed with Sweet Root Vegetable Mash. For dessert, I whipped up Basic Chia Seed Pudding.

First, the kale salad. I would happily eat kale massaged with only olive oil and salt, so this was a step up in the world of kale salad for me. The shredded carrot and red cabbage gave the salad a great crunch, while the smooshed up avocado made it all creamy and wonderful. My only very minor complaint might be that it was a little too lemony for me, so next time I would 3 Tbs of lemon juice instead of 1/4 cup. Surprisingly, this salad kept really well in the fridge for a few days.

Bad picture of good beet ravioli. I was concerned that the filling would turn out too sweet, with sweet potato, agave nectar and cinnamon, but the turnip, coconut oil and dijon mustard kept the puree firmly in the savory world. I had to add a bit of vegetable broth to get the mixture smooth, and it was still thick enough to sandwich between the beet slices. While these ravioli were a little sloppy to eat, they were really delicious. I ate some of the filling this way, some by itself, and some mixed in with oat bran for breakfast.

Raw-ish lunch, gettin’ cozy by the fire.

I was feeling very lazy the day I made this, so I ate the chia seed pudding out of the measuring cup I mixed it in. I already loved chia seeds, so Gena didn’t need to convince me! The pudding is easy to make; you just mix it all together and whisk every once in a while so that the seeds don’t clump. My pudding tasted a little bitter, possibly due to the combination of stevia and vanilla extract, but it was still good. Next time I would use agave nectar or maple syrup instead of the stevia, and maybe add some cocoa or pumpkin or something else extra.

Next week is Vegetarian Times week! I’m hard at work preparing recipes from the last five years of Vegetarian Times. Have a good weekend!

I’m checking in late to get this post in on time! For my fourth OBR feature, I chose Ricki from Diet, Dessert and Dogs. I’ve been reading Ricki’s blog for quite some time now, and I find it a personal abomination that I don’t have her cookbook Sweet Freedom yet. Ricki is a master of both baking and cooking, and she details her struggles and triumphs dealing with an anti-candida diet. She is an eloquent writer with a fun story to go along with every kitchen adventure, and I always look forward to reading her posts. She makes wheat-, egg-, dairy- and sugar-free look goooooood!

This soup was very easy to prepare, and I had high hopes, as it kind of looked and smelled like apple caramel while it was simmering. Sadly, it’s not my favorite. It had a good balance of acid, fat, sweet, and apple flavor, but for some reason it just wasn’t up my alley. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it! Sorry Ricki! It’s not you, it’s me!

It turned out to be okay that I didn’t favor the soup, because this nut roast is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Seriously, I’ve had some good stuff in my days, but Ricki’s nut roast is out-of-this-world delicious. It’s savory and mushroom-y and soft in the middle and crusty on the outside, and I want to marry it. I went back for seconds, which is a rarity for me. Then I added up the calorie count and kind of wished I hadn’t had seconds: 445 calories for a 1/8 loaf slice. No wonder it tastes so darned good! Regardless, I will definitely keep this recipe on hand for special occasions. In fact, I froze two slices to have as my Thanksgiving entree in a few weeks. Oh, and it was easy to boot. You saute some stuff, you food process some stuff, then you mix it together and put it in the oven and magic happens.

(Note: I don’t advocate calorie counting in general, but I’m doing it right now as a measure to keep an eye on portion control. I definitely do not recommend it as a regular practice!)

Today I’m featuring recipes from Oh She Glows. I haven’t been reading Angela’s blog as long as some other food blogs, but I was quickly drawn to it upon first discovery. Angela has an infectious joy for life and a passion for what she does, and she creates such amazing-looking stuff on a daily basis.

(On a side note, I have tried the Glo Bars from her Glo Bakery, and they’re really good. Really, really good. Like, if I had more money I’d be getting them all the time good.)

Oh She Glows hosts a recipe index, which made it easy to find recipes to try. I chose two that had gone on my mental checklist when I first saw them – In a Jiffy Spelt Burgers and Nut Butter Crusted Fries. Actually, looking now I see that Ricki was the originator of the fries, and it looks like Angela changed some of the nut butter to peanut butter, which is A-OK with me. For today, the credit goes to Angela because her blog is where I first saw them. (I may or may not be featuring Ricki later this week anyway…)

First, let’s talk about those fries. They’re insanely delicious! The recipe calls for much more fat than I would normally use, 1/4 cup total, but the payoff is totally worth it. I went the sweet potato route, and the combination of flavors and textures was unique yet comforting. My note would be to not cut the fries too small, as the thinner parts burned a little. Also, I would use a rimmed baking sheet and toss them around half way through baking because the bottom side got pretty dark.

The burger patties are awesome! They really do come together quickly, and they’re full of healthy ingredients like spelt flour, vegetables and seeds. The flavor was really nice, except I think they may have been a little too onion-y for me, so if I make them again I may substitute some celery or some other tasty veggie for part of the onion. I formed my patties in a three-inch cookie cutter for that perfect roundness.

The meal was already plenty substantial for me with just the fries and patty, so I ate the burger on a cabbage leaf instead of a bun. Another day, I tried a patty on lightly toasted bread, and it was good that way too.

Fresh out of the oven, the burgers were a little soft in the middle, but after a night in the fridge they were very firm. I would even say firm enough to go on a grill! In fact, I’m going to freeze the remaining patties and see how they hold up, and if it’s successful I might finally have a solution for my Boca Burger habit.

In conclusion, read Angela’s blog because it will probably make you smile (or at least make you hungry), give her recipes a try, and get your hands on some Glo Bars if you can.

eta: It turns out that the burger recipe was originally Ricki’s too, adapted by Angela. I gotta give credit where credit’s due!

Welcome to Other Bloggers’ Recipes Week! I couldn’t think of a better name, and from now on it shall be referred to as OBR. This week, I will be featuring five of my favorite vegan bloggers and their recipes.

To get started, I chose the fabulous Miss Bianca of Vegan Crunk fame. Immediately upon starting to read her blog a few years ago, I got the feeling that she and I would be fast friends. We’re both southern-born and raised, about the same age, and into healthy food but also “junk food” and indulgences such as beer, in moderation. In fact, I had the pleasure of meeting Bianca when she was in San Francisco on a business trip back in January. We dined at Millenium, because really, if you can have one meal at one vegan restaurant in SF, it has to be at Millenium. I don’t seem to have blogged about it for some reason, but Bianca did here. I’m starving now after reliving that meal!

Bianca doesn’t give out many of her recipes because, understandably, she is hoarding them for her upcoming cookbook. (Which, by the way, I am totally psyched for.) I decided on her Sweet Tater Bread, which she had posted as a sneak peak.

I grew up eating my mom’s pumpkin bread every fall and winter, and actually tried once to veganize and healthify it (fail), and I was hoping that Bianca’s bread would fill this void in my life. It totally did!

For starters, I cheated and used a can of sweet potato puree instead of cooking the sweet potatoes myself. Not that it’s that hard to cube and boil some sweet potatoes, but it definitely made my life easier on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

This picture was taken soon after the bread came out of the oven. If you can stand it, you should probably let the loaf cool completely before digging in, but obviously I couldn’t stand it.

Here’s the bread a few days later. It firmed up after resting, but still remained moist and dense and wonderful. The addition of ginger to the spicing was an unexpected and lovely touch – we’re not messing around with nutmeg and allspice here, people. Also, I love that the pecans were toasted before adding them to the batter, which really made their flavor pop. The bread made for a fantastic breakfast or snack throughout the week, and it kept really well. If this recipe is an indication of what’s to come in Bianca’s cookbook, we’re all in for a treat!